6 Best Family Things to Do in Indianapolis

If the word museum conjures up images of precious objects kept safely behind glass, Indianapolis Children’s Museum will come as something of a revelation. The largest museum of its kind in the world, Indianapolis Children’s Museum offers completely hands-on experiences, with playscapes, a dinosphere, and a space quest.

If your kids like making a racket, then the Rhythm! Discovery Centre is perfect for them. This unique percussion museum is an education in rhythm from around the world, and there are workshops where kids can make their own music in a group setting.

As well as providing one of the most popular kids’ dishes, the Old Spaghetti Factory gives children the chance to dine in a vintage-style railroad car, adding an extra element of fun to the meal. There are more conventional dining tables too, and large families or groups are easily accommodated.

Whichever the way you plan to traverse the vast White River State Park in central Indianapolis, you can be sure that it will be a fun, safe ride. You can rent bikes to explore it on land or hire a boat to drift along the river. There are endless, idyllic picnic spots, as well as pretty gardens and eminent museums.

Among its star inhabitants, Indianapolis Zoo has some serious acrobatic show-offs in the form of its orangutans. You can see things from their point of view by taking a ride on a cable car, as the apes swing on ropes around you. You can also interact with dolphins, splashing about in the water with them.

Serving up traditional Hoosiers cuisine in a family-run restaurant, the homely Hollyhcock Hill is located in Broad Ripple Village. With crowd-pleasers such as fried chicken and battered fish, everyone will be happy, and there are small portions offered for children. Kids will go particularly wild for the make-your-own sundaes for dessert.